RECAP. Deja Vu? Pens WIN

5

 4

Sidney Crosby returned to the scene of his Golden Goal in the 2010 Olympic last night as the Pens made their only visit to Vancouver this season.  This game was pretty meh throughout.  The Canucks were just sitting back and trying to capitalize on Pens mistakes.  Typical John Torterella bull shit.  It didn't work for 2 periods as the Pens controlled the game for the most part. But in the 3rd things went to hell for the Pens almost.  But, Best In the World had other plans.

Like we said.  The first period was meh.  The Pens controlled play and the Canucks just sat back and watched pretty much.  The Pens would get on the board first though.  Former Penguin Dan Hamuis couldn't control a bouncing puck at the point and Brian Gibbons poked it away from him.  Gibbons used his speed to get in behind the defense, protected the puck well, and slipped on 5 hole to make it 1-nil Pens.

The second period was the same as the first for the most part.  The Pens dominated some more and the Canucks sat back and watched.  The Canucks showed their first sign of life when some dude from the band Hanson was in on a breakaway.  MAF stoned him and the Pens went the other way.  Finnish Olympian Olli Maatta led the rush into the Canucks zone, dropped the puck off for James Neal, Neal faked a shot and gave the puck up the Geno.  Geno sniped one from the slot to make it 2-0.  The Pens were coming in waves.  They were in the Canucks mouth and the Canucks weren't fighting back.  If it wasn't for Eddie Lack stoning Kris Letang a couple times and Letang hitting a post it would have been 4-0 or 5-0 Pens.  Instead it stayed 2-0.  But the Pens started to wet themselves.  Best In The World threw a no look pass in front of his own goal.  It missed Brian Gibbons and went right to Mr. Garrison.  He sniped one high on MAF to make it 2-1.

Business started to pick up in the 3rd.  The Canucks finally stopped sitting on their balls and came out to play.  Chris Tanev tied the game on a shot that had about 846 people in front of MAF.  No way he could see it.  Then Chernobyl happened.  Chris friggen Higgins smoked the Pens defense and was in on a breakaway.  He beat MAF 5 hole to give the Canucks a 3-2 lead.  Then 17 second later Zack Kassian roofed on on MAF to make it 4-2.  

But the Pens had other ideas even though it didn't look like it for a while.  With under 2 minutes to play the Pens pulled MAF.  They worked the puck into the Canucks zone and fed Kris Letang at the point.  He put it in Eddie Lack's mouth.  4-3 Canucks.  Then 16 seconds later, Best In The World's music hit:

Tie game.  4-4.

Crosby scored the tying goal on the same goal and celebrated in the same corner as he did when he scored the Golden Goal in 2010.  We fully expect him to never score in the other goal when the Pens visit Vancouver from now on.  

Overtime was back and fourth for the most part.  The Pens had a 2 on 1 with Neal and Malkin but they were at the end of their shift so they were gassed.  No dice.  Really nothing else happened though. Both teams had some chances.

The game slipped into a shootout.  The Pens catch a break because the Sedin sisters refuse to participate in the shootout. They Canucks shot first.  Couldn't tell you who it was to be honest but MAF stopped him.  Jussi Jokinen shot first for the Pens.  He almost ran into a linesman and Bob Errey almost had a stroke because someone dared to get in Jokinen's.  Can only imagine what he would have done had that been Crosby.  But none the less, Eddie Lack stopped Jokinen.  We are prettyt sure The Situation from the Jersey Shore was the Canucks 2nd shooter.  He hit the post.  Then.  Best In The World stepped up.  It was almost unfair.  You knew he was scoring.  He went 5 hole on lack to give the Pens a 1-0 advantage in the shootout.  Then Zack Kassian, I think, had a chance to keep the shootout going.  No dice.  Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeee.

1. Zack Kassian

2. Chris Higgins

3. Kris Letang

Stuff:

• What a game from Kris Letang.  He was everywhere.  Made smart plays with the puck.  Didn't try to force things.  Joined rushed when it was safe.  Games like last night are why the Pens game him $58 million.  If he would play like that for the rest of the season watch out.
• James Neal and Evgeni Malkin are something else.  So fun to watch.  The chemistry they have together is amazing.
• As much as we love Simon Despres he was bad last night.  Brook Orpik too.  No clue what Robert Bortuzzo did to not have a spot in this lineup.
• MAF was ok.  Better in the 1st and 2nd than the 3rd.  Brick wall in the shootout.  MAF is money in those.

Pens continue their lovely Western Canada road trip on Friday in Edmonton at 10 p.m.

Go Pens

How Bad Things Were 10 Years Ago

This was passed on to us by our buddy, and former Heyyyyy Fannnssss blogger, Steve a couple of nights ago.  This is the Penguins line up from 10 years ago:

If you have bad eyes and can't read that the lines are as follows:

Surovy-Holzinger-Kostopoulos

Malone-Fata-Morozov

Koltsov-Meloche-Bradley

McKenna-Eastwood-Buchberger

Tarnstrom-Berehowsky

Melichar-Strbak

Bergevin-Orpik

Caron

Aubin

Yikes.

Konstantin Koltsov 3rd line.  Tom Kostopulos is now in WBS.  Milan Kraft was a healthy scratch.  How bad do you have to be to not crack that line up.  Michael Rozival who is now in Chicago, was also on this team, along with Ramzi Abid and Dan Focht.  If memory serves me correctly this team lost 18 in a row at one point and Dick Tarnstrom lead the team in points.  What an absolute dumpster fire.  The "X Generation" was the worst.  No clue how we survived this.

Go Pens

Malkin. Kunitz. Crosby. Maatta. Jokinen. Named to Olympic Teams

Like 6 Olympic teams were announced today.  Some of the Penguins that made it were.

For Team Finland (Our favorite)

• Olli Maatta
• Jussi Jokinen.

For Team Russia

• Evgeni Malkin

For Team Canada

• Best In The World
• Chris Kunitz

James Neal and Marc Andre Fleury were left off of Team Canada which, in our not so expert opinion, is a blessing in disguise for MAF.  

Somehow Rick Nash made Team Canada.  LOLZ

Also.  Former Penguins Double J and the great Petr Nedved made the Czech team.  Alexi Morozov didn't make Team Russia :(

It took us less time to put this post together than it did for Canada to announce their team.

Go Hockey

RECAP. PENS WIN.

6

5

This period was basically just a mess for the Pens. Only about 2 minutes in, the Jets are on the board from a Trouba goal to give them an early lead. Crosby attempts his 4th career penalty shot, misses, and is now 0-4 for his career. Jets took advantage of the downplay and  go up 2-0 with only 3 seconds left in the 1st. Woof.

Down 2-0, the Pens snap back into it when Jokinen forced a turnover in the O-zone and Malkin recieved the puck. He snapped it past Montoya to make it 2-1. 3 minutes later on a Pens PP, Neal wrists one in to make the game 2-2. Not even a minute later, "Real Deal" James Neal strikes again, 3-2 Pens. But LOL jk, another minute later, Wheeler ties it up again, 3-3. Pens then end up taking another lead again on a Jokinen goal a few minutes later. 17 minutes in, Orpik forgets what he's doing for a minute or something because he gives up the puck, Evander Kane takes off and backhands it into the net to take back to lead for the Jets. Kane scores again 18 seconds to give the Jets, yet another, late period goal.

Down 5-4 and needing another goal, cue Evgeni Malkin. Geno caught the rebound off of Neal's shot and buried it behind Montoya to tie the game back up. Niskanen scores with a sick slapshot to give the Pens a 6-5 lead. Fleury held it all together in the end of the period, making some beautiful saves, and the Pens win it.

3. Evander Kane

2. James Neal

1. Evgeni Malkin

Stuff:

• With this Pens win, Dan Bylsma became the all-time winning-est coach in Penguins franchise history with 232 wins.
• Geno is playing some unreal hockey and looks like he never missed a game.
• Letang, also first game back from injury, played a game-high 24:31 minutes.
• Fleury leads NHL goalies with most wins: 24.
• Best in the world is still dominating the points race with 63 points.
• Pens have won 12 home games in a row, wooooooooo!

Pens take on the Canucks in Vancouver tomorrow night at 10 p.m.
GO PENS!


Oh, yeah... Just because Andrew and Brandon will probably kick my ass if I don't...

RECAP. In The "King's" Mouth. Pens WIN

5

Not even bothering putting the Rangers logo in here considering they decided to no show up for this game.  The Pens were in the Rangers mouth all night long.  Pretty embarrassing performance by the Rangers to be honest.  Ryan McDonough is a baby.  

Game was kind of back and fourth at the beginning.  Pens dominated most of the play.  The Rangers couldn't get out of their own way at times.  The script to 99% of the games that the Pens dominate most of the 1st period has them going in to intermission down 1 or 2 goals.  They finally flipped the script this game.  It all got started on the power play.  The shot came in from the point and Best In The World did what probably only he could do.  Used his skate to deflect the puck to Chris Kunitz who had a wide open goal to make it 1-nil Pens.  Then the Pens would get another soon after.  Brian Gibbons undressed Marc Staal in behind the Rangers goal.  Gibbons dished it to Jussi who beat Lundqvist to make it 2-nil Pens.

The Pens smelt blood and they went in for the kill.  Jussi Jokinen was able to coral a loose puck in around the Rangers goal and shot it off of someones face...literally, and it made its way by Lundqvist to make it 3-nil Pens.  Then once again, Best In The World did that being really good a hockey thing again.  He took a pass from Chris Kunitz and went back hand, top shelf on Lundqvist.  There was literally like 2 places that puck could have gone to be a goal and Crosby hit one.  

Jussi almost had the hat trick but "King" Henrik said no.  I think the Rangers had a power play somewhere in there but that was about as successful as a porn star keeping her legs closed.

The Rangers finally acted like the cared in the 3rd.  Someone scored to make it 4-1.  Really don't care who it was.  They made it 4-2 a few minutes later.  Lol whatever.  Deryk Engelland almost ended John Moore.  More went to hit him and Engelland braced himself and Moore got the worst of it.  The Pens ended up making it 5-2.  The was a pile up in front of the Rangers goal.  No one could cover the puck or clear it.  The puck finally made its way to Chris Kunitz who had enough time to have a Milano's Pizza delivered to him.  He buried it.  Byyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

1.  Chris Kunitz

2.  Jussi Jokinen

3.  Best In The World

Stuff:

• Olli Maatta was back in the lineup.  He had a better game than the ones he's had recently.
• Speaking of good games Simon Despres and Robert Bortuzzo had another good game.  The sky is also blue.
• Taylor Pyatt looked ok in his first game.  Didn't really do anything note worthy but wasn't awful.  Showed some signs that he'll fit well with the Pens.
• MAF was in the Rangers mouth all night.
• No clue how Henrik Lundqvist's GAA isn't like 9.00
• Kunitz-Crosby-Neal were everywhere.
• The newly formed line of Gibbons-Suttertron-Jussi looked great.  It seemed like they were making good things happen every time they were out there.

Pens next game is Sunday at 1 p.m. against Winnipeg.

Go Pens

PREGAME: Pens vs. Rangers

Consol Energy Center. 7:00. ROOT.

IT'S A HOCKEY NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH as the Rangers (20-19-2) come to town to take on the Penguins (29-12-1) for the third of four games this season. The Rangers have been 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, while the Pens are 8-2-0. The most recent game between these teams on December 18th ended in a 4-3 shootout win for the Penguins.

The Penguins have acquired Taylor Pyatt off of waivers from the Rangers and is expected to play against his old team tonight. Just a random note that the twitter fangirling over his looks has yet to cease.

Sidney Crosby, yet again, has been named an NHL Star. He is the 2nd star of December for his 23 points off of 9 goals and 14 assists. He now leads the league in points with 59 total (22G, 37A).

LINES:

Kunitz - Crosby - Neal

Jokinen - Sutter - Gibbons

Pyatt - Vitale - Adams

Glass - Sill - Kobasew

Maatta - Niskanen

Orpik - Despres

Bortuzzo - Scuderi

Fleury

Kreider - Stepan - Nash

Hagelin - Richards - Zuccarello

Pouliot - Brassard - Callahan

Boyle - Moore - Dorsett

McDonagh - Girardi

Moore - Stralman

Allen - Staal

Lundqvist

INJURY REPORT:

• PIT - Still have a million and two injuries.
• NYR - Fully healthy, given that Callahan returns. Assholes.

LET'S GO PENS!

Team USA Roster Announced

So since we are turning this into the Marginal Olympic Blog in a month, we're going to start with some early Olympic news.

Team USA announced their Olympic roster today after the Winter Classic. Some players like Keith Yandle were snubbed and we aren't really sure why someone like Blake Wheeler made the team, but here is the roster that USA assembled.

Forwards:

Blake Wheeler - Winnipeg Jets

James van Riemsdyk - Toronto Maple Leafs

Derek Stepan - New York Rangers

Paul Stastny - Colorado Avalanche

Joe Pavelski - San Jose Sharks

Zach Parise - Minnesota Wild

Max Pacioretty - Montreal Canadiens

TJ Oshie - St. Louis Blues

Phil Kessel - Toronto Maple Leafs

Ryan Kesler - Vancouver Canucks

Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks

Ryan Callahan - New York Rangers

Dustin Brown - Los Angeles Kings

David Backes - St. Louis Blues

Defenseman:

John Carlson - Washington Capitals

Justin Faulk - Carolina Hurricanes

Cam Fowler - Anaheim Ducks

Paul Martin - Pittsburgh Penguins

Ryan McDonagh - New York Rangers

Brooks Orpik - Pittsburgh Penguins

Kevin Shattenkirk - St. Louis Blues

Ryan Suter - Minnesota Wild

Goalies:

Jimmy Howard - Detroit Red Wings

Jonathan Quick - Los Angeles Kings

Ryan Miller - Buffalo Sabres

Team Canada announces their roster on January 7th. Not sure about Russia or Finland.

We will more than likely have a Full Olympic preview with predictions in about a month.

Go Hockey.